Murdock persisted. "But I still don't see how that stuff is going to help. It's more like ship-repair stores than anything else." Kenniston lied hastily. "The cycs are for power-supply, and the rocket-tubes and plates are to build a heavy duty power-hoist to jack the wreck out of the mud. Holk Or and I have got that all figured out." Murdock frowned as though still unconvinced, but dropped the subject. When he had gone off to join the others, Holk Or glared after him. "That fellow's too smart for his own good," muttered the Jovian. "He's suspicious. Maybe I'd better see that he meets with an accident." "No, let him alone," warned Kenniston. "If anything happened to him now, the others would want to turn back. And we're almost to Vesta now." But worry remained as a shadow in the back of Kenniston's own mind. It still oppressed him hours later when the arbitrary ship's-time had brought the 'night.' Sitting down in the luxurious passenger-cabin over highballs with the others, he wondered where Hugh Murdock was. The rest of Gloria's party were all here, listening with fascinated interest to Holk Or's colorful yarns of adventures on the wild asteroids. But Murdock was missing. Kenniston wondered worriedly if the fellow was looking over that equipment in the hold again. * * * * * A young Earth space-man--one of the _Sunsprite's_ small crew--came into the cabin and approached Kenniston. "Captain Walls' compliments, sir, and would you come up to the bridge? He'd like your advice about the course again." "I'll go with you," Gloria said as Kenniston rose. "I like it up in the bridge best of any place on the ship." As they climbed past the little telaudio transmitter-room, they saw Hugh Murdock standing in there by the operator. He smiled at Gloria. "I've been trying to get some messages through to Earth, but it seems we're almost out of range," he said ruefully. "Can't you ever forget business, Hugh?" the girl said exasperatedly. "You're about as adventurous as a fat radium-broker of fifty." Kenniston, however, felt relieved that Murdock had apparently forgotten about the oddness of the equipment below. His spirits were lighter when they entered the glassite-enclosed bridge. Captain Walls turned from where he stood beside Bray, the chief pilot. The plump, cheerful master touched his cap to Gloria Loring. "Sorry to bother you again, Mr. Kenniston," he apologized. "But we're getting pretty near Vesta, and you know this devilish region of space better than I do. The charts are so vague they're useless." Kenniston glanced at the instrument-panel with a practiced eye and then squinted at the void ahead. The _Sunsprite_ was now throbbing steadily through a starry immensity whose hosts of glittering points of light would have made a bewildering panorama to laymen's eyes.